The present invention relates to a modular rolling axis apparatus and particularly to a modular rolling axis for installing in computer peripheral devices such as keyboards, mouse devices, joysticks, remote controllers, mobile phones, notebook computers, handheld computers, or the likes.
These days mouse devices have gradually replaced keyboards to facilitate users operation when using computers. In the past, a mouse usually includes a rolling ball, a circuit board and a shell. The circuit board has a photo grid rolling axis for controlling X-Y axes displacements, and opening or closing switch buttons. When the rolling ball is rolled, the photo grid-rolling axis is driven to control the cursor to point a selected function button on the window. Then the pushbutton on the shell may be depressed to trigger a switch to execute or open the selected function or switching.
While such mouse devices allow users to use computers easier, mouse operation still has many problems. Hence some producers have developed mouse driver software to control window scrolling or page switching function by depressing the left key, the right key or the middle key to make mouse operation more convenient. Although the mouse driver software are relatively easy to make and may be used without changing the mouse, their function are limited to window scrolling or page switching, and cannot perform switching of function selection.
Some producers also develop and introduce the mouse with a roller. The roller, in addition to controlling window scrolling or page switching, can also be rolled to control switching of function selection and make user operation more convenient. However, such types of mouse devices are more difficult to produce and cost higher, and can only be adapted on mouse, and cannot be adapted for other computer peripheral devices such as keyboards, joysticks, remote controllers, mobile phones, notebook computers, handheld computers, or the likes.
The primary object of the invention is to resolve aforesaid disadvantages. The invention employs a modular rolling axis apparatus to enable users to process function selection or page switching, then to perform execution or opening of the selected function or window scrolling or page switching by directly depressing the rolling axis apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a small size and light weight rolling axis apparatus for uses in computer peripheral devices such as keyboards, mouse devices, joysticks, remote controllers, mobile phones, notebook computers, handheld computers, or the likes.
In order to achieve the foregoing objects, the rolling axis apparatus of the invention includes a circuit board, two support elements mounted on the circuit board and a rolling axis located between the two support elements. When the rolling axis is driven, one of the support elements can output a coding signal to control function selection or switching on the window. Depressing the rolling axis, a switch in the middle or on two sides may be compressed to deliver an output signal for execution or opening of the selected function to perform execution or opening of the selected function, or page switching or scrolling of the window.